Red Cross Commission Announces Emergency Grant

The independent
New Zealand Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Commission has now
been established to disburse the first emergency and
hardship grants from the Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Appeal.

The Chair of the appeal Commission, Sir John Hansen,
announced the grant details following a meeting of the
Commission in Christchurch earlier today.

The
Commissioners of the previous fund set up after the
September 2010 Christchurch earthquake resolved today that
that fund be wound up and that any grants approved but
unpaid would be paid immediately. The former relocation
grant that the remaining funds had been earmarked for has
been overtaken by the tragic events of last Tuesday. The
balance in that fund of about $10 million will be
transferred into this new fund, giving a total, as of now,
of about $22 million.

Sir John, who was chair of the
former Commission, paid tribute to the sterling work of
former fellow Commissioner Norm Withers, who at the time of
his appointment was the Deputy Mayor of Christchurch.

In
announcing today’s grants, Sir John said: “The grants
will be distributed fairly, transparently and in a timely
manner. Cash is going to be vital in helping people rebuild
their homes and lives. It will enable them to buy what they
need most, and these purchases will help revitalize local
economies.”

“All funds from the appeal will be used
towards the New Zealand Red Cross response to the February
2011 Christchurch earthquake to assist people and
communities affected. New Zealand Red Cross will not make
any deductions for administration or staff
salaries.”

Two grants have been established: an
Emergency and Hardship Grant and a Bereavement
Grant.

Emergency & Hardship GrantEligibility:
People living in their homes without power or water or
sewerage, or people forced to leave their home because of
damage or because they have no water or power or
sewerage.

The New Zealand Red Cross 2011 Earthquake
Appeal to date has raised $11.6 million. Australian Red
Cross, British Red Cross and Irish Red Cross are also
running national appeals for the people of Christchurch.

Japanese Red Cross has provided generous financial
assistance to the New Zealand Red Cross emergency response.
American Red Cross is working with New Zealand Red Cross to
coordinate donations in the USA.

People in New Zealand can
donate to the appeal via www.redcross.org.nz or make an automatic
$20 donation by ringing 0900 733 27.

The quashing of the convictions of Teina Pora for the rape and murder of Susan Burdett in 1992 has shone a spotlight once again on a major gap in the New Zealand justice system.

To all intents and purposes, access by New Zealanders to the Privy Council has now been closed. Yet the number of times in recent years when the Privy Council has quashed the findings of New Zealand courts has demonstrated that we are regularly(a) jailing the wrong person or(b) arriving at guilty verdicts on grounds sufficiently flawed as to raise serious doubts that a miscarriage of justice has occurred. More>>

ALSO:

WorkSafe NZ has laid one charge against the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) in relation to the shooting at the MSD Ashburton office on 1 September 2014 in which two Work and Income staff were killed and another was injured. More>>

New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters has announced his intention to stand in the Northland by-election, citing his own links to the electorate and ongoing neglect of the region by central government. More>>